Float valve for hydraulic pumping systems



Dec. 19, 1933. T, MOORE 1,940,007

FLOAT VALVE FOR HYDRAULIC PUMPING SYSTEMS Filed July 22, 1929 flrromm sW'inyzas /4/ VE/Y To It Patented Dec. 19, 1933 FLOAT VALVE FOR HYDRAULICPUMPING SYSTEMS Thomas F. Moore, Morris Plains,N. J.

Application July 22, 1929. Serial No. 380,223

i 1 claim. This invention relates toa float valve for hydraulic pumpingsystem of the class set forth in my pending application, Serial No.322,056 filed November 26, 1928, and refers more particularly I to thefloat operated means for controlling the exhaust of air from the pumpingsystem and for preventing the passage of liquid to the air exhaustdevice. a a In the use of hydraulic pumps, for transferring water orother liquid from one locality to another as for example in withdrawingwater from swamps and other repositories in the ground preparatory tothe construction of foundations for buildings and other projects, it isdesirable to prevent the entrance of air into the pump through theintake or from other sources in order to maintain the highest workingefliciency of the pump.

' For this latter purpose, a vacuum pumpis con- 7 nected to the intakeside of the hydraulic pump, 20 but owing to the fact that in theoperation, of the hydraulic-pump considerable sand, silt, gravel andother foreign matter 'is frequently drawninto the intake, it is obviousthat if any appreciable quantity of this liquid should be allowed topass into the vacuum pump it would immediately impair the workingefliciency .of the entire pumping system, while any foreign matterenteringthe vacuum pump with the liquidwould cause a rapid stroying itsfunction.

The main object, therefore, is to-provide a move sensitive anddependable'means for automatically and positivelyv preventing thepassage of liquid and any foreign matter carried thereby into the vacuumpump or other air-exhausting devicethan has .heretoforebeen practicedand at the same time to maintain a sufficient degree of vacuum in thepumping systemtoprevent the accumulation of any appreciable quantity ofair in the hydraulic pump.

Another object is to maintain a substantially balanced condition betweenthe suction force of the vacuum pump and gravity of the liquid in thefloat-chamber'under the widely varying working conditions ofthepumping'system.

One of the specific objects is to controlthe connecting port between theintake of the vacuum pump and float-chamber by means of a float?operative flexible strap-valve preferably of arcuate form whereby theport-will be gradually opened and closed. as the float is moved inreverse directions by the rise and fall of the float in thefloat-chamber.

V A'further object is to provide the connecting port between the intakeside of the hydraulic deterioration of said pump to the extent of de-FFICE a.

pump and float-chamber with a protective screen J of relatively finemesh to prevent the passage of the coarser foreign matter carried by theliquid from: the intake of the hydraulic pump into the float-chamber andthereby to assure a freer movement of the float in said chamber thanwould be possible if the coarser matter in the liquid should enter saidchamber.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the pumping systemwill be brought out in'the following description.

In the drawing Fig. -1 is a longitudinal verticalsectionalrview of aportion of the intake conduit leading to the hydraulic pump togetherwith the float-chamber and. float therein and a portion of the vacuumpump having its intake side connected to the upperend of thefloat-chamber, the dotted lines indicating the closed position of thefloat-operated valve which is shown by full linesin its down position.

extreme Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal sectional views takenrespectivelyin the planes of lines 2-2 and pump through the suction box 1.

This suction box 1 is preferably divided diagonally from the uppercorner nearest the inlet 2 to the lower corner nearest the outlet 3 toform separable sections 4 and 4 which are secured together at theirmeeting corners by bolts'5 or equivalent fastening means. a

A screen partition 6 of relatively coar se mesh is arranged diagonallyof and within the suction box 1 in the plane of the meeting edges ofsaid sections and has its marginal edges secured between said meetingedges by the bolts 5 to hold the screen in operative position betweenthe inlet 2 and outlet 3 and thereby to prevent the passage of coarseforeign matter carried by the liquid into the hydraulic pump A.

The bottom of the section 4 is provided with a sump-chamber '7 forreceiving the coarser foreign matter which is held back by the screen 6,said sump-chamber being provided at its lower end with a movable cap 7'which maybe opened from time to time to permit the remova s g mattercollected therein.

l of for- The side walls of the sections 4 and 4' may also be providedwith clean-out openings-8 normally closed by removable caps 8 which mayalso be removed from time to time to permit any foreign matter which maylodge in those sections to be removed when desired.

The top wall of the section 4 of the suction box 1 is provided with aport or opening 9 to which is connected the lower end of a standpipe 10having a float-chamber 10 for receiving a float 11, the upper end ofsaid standpipe being provided with an air port 12 connecting thefloatchamber 10 with the intake pipe 13 of a vacuum pump 14.

A screen 15 of relatively finer mesh than the screen 6 is secured to thetop wall of the suction box 1 across the port or opening 9 to preventthe entrance of excessively heavy or large foreign matter in the wateror other liquid which may be drawn into the float-chamber 10 by thepartial vacuum created'in the upper end thereof by the action of thevacuum pump 14.

The float 11 maybe of any light and highly buoyant construction (in thisinstance cork or its 7 equivalent) so as to move vertically with amaximum freedom within the float-chamber 10' as the level of the liquidrises and falls within said chamber, said float normally resting uponthe screen 15 when in its extreme down position or in the absence of anyliquid within the floatchamber 10.

The upper end of the float is provided with a diametrically extendingstrap-valve 16 of flexible material such as leather, leather-rubbercomposition, thin sheet metal or equivalent more or less resilientsubstance having its opposite ends secured by straps 17 to correspondingsides on the float 11 and its central portion'arched upwardly in spacedrelation to the adjacent end of the float, said strap-valve beingpreferably flat in cross section to allow it to yield more or less whenimpinged against the under side of the top wall of the float-chamberacross the port 12 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. v a

The port 12 consists in this instance 'of a plurality of relativelysmall openings arranged within an area of slightly less diameter thanthe width of the central portion of the strap-valve 16, one of the portholes being substantially coaxial with the float-chamber while the otherport holes are arranged around the central hole.

The object in providing the arcuate strapvalve 16 and elongating theport holes 12 laterally is to enable the valve to open and close theport gradually from the circumference toward the center and vice versaas the float rises and falls under different levels of liquid in thefloat chamber.

The float-chamber 10 is preferably circular in cross section, while thefloat 11 is more or less angular in cross section or at least providedwith flat sides-to .allow the water to rise and fall freely between theouter surface of the float and walls of the float-chamber, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 3, which also shows the strap-valve 16 as of greaterwidth than the diameter of the combined port holes of the port 12, shownin top plan in Fig. 2.

The height of the'floa't-chamber between the ports 9 and 12 isdetermined somewhat by the height of the float, but both thefloat-chamber and the float will be made as short as possible with thechamber of greater height than the pump so as to allowa predeterminedamount of the liquid to enter the float-chamber before closthefloat-chamber into the vacuum pump as the latter continues to operate.

' Operation It is now evident that when the pumping system is inactivethe float 11 will rest upon the bottom of the float-chamber 10 or uponthe screen 15, but when the pumping system is put into action any airwhich may be present in the intake side of the hydraulic pump will bedrawn upwardly through the float-chamber and port 12 into the intakeside of the vacuum pump Y14 and, as the supply of air in thefloat-chamber is gradually diminished by suction, a part of the liquidbeing pumped will rise in the standpipe 10 thereby raising the floatuntil the apex of the flexible valve 16 begins to close the center holeof the port 12 and then to gradually close 'the remaining ports forcutting off communication between the intake side of the vacuum pump andfloat-chamber.

Under these conditions, the liquid in the floatchamber 10 will be heldby the partial vacuum previously formed in the upper portion of thefloat-chamber at a level some distance below the top of the float or ata level low enough to prevent thepassage of any of the water from thefloatchamber into the vacuum pump to the port 12.

If, however, additional. air should gradually rise through the waterinthe float-chamber 'while the valve is closed it would cause a graduallowering of the level of the liquid in said chamber thereby allowing acorresponding lowering of the float and consequent gradual opening ofthe valve :16 whereupon this additional air would be instantlywithdrawnfrom the float-chamber by the vacuum'pump' 14 to restorethefloat and its valve to its port-closing position.

It is now clear that the action of the float and its valve is entirelyautomatic and extremely sensitive to the slightest accumulation of airwithin theupper portion of the float-chamber.

Under these conditions the liquid in the floatchamber 10 will bemaintained at an approximate uniform level under normal workingconditions of the pumping system due to the gradual closing and gradualopening of the port 12 by the fleXiblestrap-valve 16. v

It will also be observed that the screen 6 prevents the passage ofcoarse materials carried by the liquidinto the hydraulic pump while thefiner screen 15 prevents the passage of heavier solids in the liquidinto the float-chamber thereby reducing the liability of injury of thefloat and walls of the float-chamber in addition to the main object ofpreventing the passage of the liquid from the float-chamber into thevacuum pump while at the same time affording a complete' exhaustion ofthe air from the intake side of the pumping system with the result thatboth the hydraulic pump and the vacuum pump will continue to operate ata maximum efiiciency for a longer period of time than has heretoforebeen practiced.

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It is, of course, understood that the float 11 and the central portionof its strap-valve 16 are maintained in a substantially central orcoaxial position within and by the standpipe 10 in all positions oftheir vertical movement so as to cause the valve to gradually open. andclose the port 12 even though the float maybe free to turn about itsaxis, but obviously other means may be provided in guiding the float inits vertical movement and for permitting the rise and fall of the liquidrelatively to the float without departing from the spirit of thisinvention.

What I claim is:--

The combination with an upright float chamber having an inlet in itslower end for receiving liquid under pressure and an air outlet in itsupper and adapted to be connected to a'suction device, of a float insaid chamber, and a flexible strap valve of less width than-the diameterof the float and having its opposite ends secured to diametricallyopposite sides of the float and its intermediate portion normally archedupwardly and free to flex vertically to gradually close the outlet fromthe center toward the ends when the float is raised to prevent thepassage of liquid through said outlet and to gradually open the outletfrom the ends toward the center when the float descends.

THOMAS F. MOORE.

